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The English We Speak. We Speak.

Hi and welcome to the English We Speak.

I'm Jennifer and with me today is Faye

Hi there.

Why do you have that big bag with you? Oh this? Well I'm going to the gym after work.

Again, but you went yesterday and the day before that. I need to push myself. I want to get fit.

Oh you're such a fitness freak.

Hey, that's not very nice.

What do you mean I'm a fitness freak?

You're calling me some kind of strange monster?

I'm not calling you a monster. That's not what the word

freak means in this context. In English you can use the word freak with a noun to

say that someone is obsessed by something which you think is strange.

So when you call me a fitness freak, you're saying I'm obsessed by sport and fitness?

That's right, it's an informal phrase, usually used if the person saying it is not

interested in the hobby or action. So someone might be a football freak if they're interested

in football. My boyfriend is a car freak. He's

obsessed with cars and talking about them, but I'm not interested at all. I think it's weird.

I understand. Well, you might call me a fitness freak because you don't like it.

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